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Grace Chingoma
Senior Sports Reporter
THE stand-off between ZIFA and the Sports Commission over the resumption of football in this country might result in the delay of the return of the game even next year.
This was said by the Sports Commission board member Nigel Munyati who also sits on the commission’s development board.
Speaking during the first meet-the-media indaba on Monday, Munyati explained fully how the concept of bio bubble came about.
He said it was the initiative of the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Kirsty Coventry, to have football return under a safe environment.
ZIFA last week came out guns blazing, saying that the concept was imposed on them and was elitist.
As the blame game continues, it appears no domestic football will be played before the year ends.
But Munyati said the approach they wanted to use, phasing the start of football, starting with the top-flight Premier Soccer League up to the last tier, will have to be used next year.
Already, ZIFA have asked their affiliates, including PSL and Division One regions, if they can start training on January 4, 2021.
ZIFA have already committed to paying for initial Covid-19 tests for all players as well as the referees fees.
“The whole process of sport resumption is something that is new to any country in the world, as no one had dealt with Covid before, so we are all learning as we go forward.
“What we had hoped was that, after we have resumed PSL, the next level would be Division One, and we would cascade down that way, now the fact that we haven’t done that, it means that come next year, we are going to have to do something that probably follows the same steps, all it does is further delay the resumption of football.
“So whilst, yes, it might be turned around and spurned to make it look like it is the SRC, no it’s not us, and it was actually the Minister’s initiative. So, they (ZIFA) are basically telling the Minister we don’t like your idea and that’s why we are where we are today,” said Munyati.
Munyati said he doesn’t understand why the national association is changing goal posts.
“The problem is we are dealing with a situation whereby we have engaged ZIFA. The Minister was very concerned that we are now getting to the end of the year, and there doesn’t seem to be any meaningful tangible efforts to resume football, so the Minister came to us as SRC and asked for ideas on how we could implement a resumption programme.
“That is how the mini-league and the dorm concept came about, so we consulted and spoke to various of the key stakeholders in football and the idea was we will cascade it down, starting with the main affiliate, which is the PSL, see how we can resume football there in a managed and safe environment…
“So, there was no way we could just say ZIFA, you guys can start playing football . . . We asked them to work with us on this proposal, which they agreed to, and were actually going to implement it. PSL was very happy, I can tell you that today without any doubt.
“But for some reason, ZIFA, despite us being in meetings with the Minister where they also agreed to the concept and to participate in its implementation, they now seem to feel that wasn’t the right approach, they have an alternative, and they are now calling it elitist. I don’t know how they define elitism but that is their decision,” Munyati said.
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